FOR YOU DOG LOVERS OUT THERE.... DOGS PICK UP ON HUMAN EMOTIONS.

not sure if anyone has posted this yet, but, i ran across this study this morning on npr. my boston was protective of me before i was diagnosed with cancer, but, during and now after 'treatment', he's even more attached to me. for me, when the radiation burns were laying waste to my skin, he tried to help by just resting near the burn areas. when i was in a cool tub of water, he would first check me out to make sure i was okay, then, as i applied cool compresses while sitting in the tub, he would sit there, back to the tub, facing the open door to ward off any bad guys. when my 'soon to be ex' phil, tried to enter the room, it was the ONLY TIME in 9 years of owning this dog, he ever snapped at him. i guess he was trying to call him a shit head for being totally unsupportive. enjoy the article guys.aaron

Great article. Thanks for posting it. My dogs are perceptive and protective, often positioning themselves in whatever room I'm sitting in - but facing the doorway or window - any point of entry if there was an intruder. I've always thought my dogs would give their little lives for me.

There used to be a saying that went something like this: If you were to lie down and die at home, your dog would most likely lie down with you and keep you company, whereas a cat would head for a door or window to get the heck out and find somebody new who would feed him.

Dogs are used to detect an oncoming epileptic seizure. Same with some sort of diabetic attack. The dog is always with the person and alerts them. They're trained to do this but I don't know the procedure.

I liked that the article had golden retrievers in the pictures; they're my favorite breed.

Jockbod48 saidIf you were to lie down and die at home, your dog would most likely lie down with you and keep you company, whereas a cat would head for a door or window to get the heck out and find somebody new who would feed him.

A surprisingly common occurrence with seniors and cats happened to a 64-year-old friend of my husband's. He slipped and hit his head badly at home, and lay unconscious for 2 days on the floor. During that time his 2 cats went unfed, and were apparently trying to wake him to get their food. They evidently didn't try to eat him, but there have been cases of that, too, when the person has actually died.

When he was finally discovered his legs were badly scratched, and they became seriously infected. That became the hospital's greatest problem, where he remained for over 4 months, much of it in intensive care and comatose at times with organ failure. At one point his family was told he wouldn't survive, and my husband went to see him one last time.

But he rallied, except that the doctor's decided they couldn't save one of his legs, and it was amputated above the knee. Then he went into a nursing home, where we'd visit him for many months more. After nearly a year following the accident he finally came home, but now an invalid. We'd drive him on his errands and to appointments taking his wheelchair along.

But his health remained frail, and he began to decline again. Admitted back into the hospital he was being treated for liver problems when he suffered a fatal heart attack. My husband & I have decided that at our ages we don't want cats around, and we can't have dogs in our condo.

When I broke my leg, the first night home I was on crutches on heavy meds. I got up from the couch to go use the bathroom and my black lab quickly got up off the couch and stood behind me. That's when I knew he was loyal to me.